Brassiere with reinforced support

ABSTRACT

The disclosure concerns a brassiere ( 10 ) of the type including at least a first cup ( 12   a ) and a second cup ( 12   b ), characterized in that each cup ( 12   a,    12   b ) includes a first exterior support ( 28 ) and a second interior support ( 30 ) each of which has generally the shape of a crescent, defined by a generally convex edge ( 32, 34 ) and by an opposing concave edge ( 36, 38 ), the concave edge ( 36 ) of the first support ( 28 ) being generally arranged racing the concave edge ( 38 ) of the second support ( 30 ), the first support ( 28 ) and the second support ( 30 ) exhibiting a first lower end ( 40 ) and a second lower end ( 42 ), respectively, which are crossed in a zone of support (Z 1 ) for the breasts.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a U.S. National Phase Application under 35 U.S.C. §371 and claims the benefit of priority to International Application Serial No. PCT/IB2015/059849, filed Dec. 21, 2015, which claims priority to French International Application Serial No. 14/63245, filed Dec. 23, 2014, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure concerns a brassiere aiming to improve comfort and support of the breasts.

BACKGROUND

A brassiere essentially aims to support the breasts of the user and to protect the breast centered in the cup.

A brassiere includes for this purpose two cups which generally exhibit a hollow shape matching the shape of the breast.

Moreover, each cup can be fitted with underwiring, which is arranged along a lower edge of the cup and which is designed to be accommodated under the breast of the user.

The underwiring, which generally exhibits a C-shaped curve, is executed in a metal or plastic material exhibiting a rigidity sufficient to limit deformation of the cup.

Although the underwires allow support of the breasts to be improved, underwiring is often the source of discomfort and can bother, or injure, the user.

SUMMARY

The aim of the present disclosure in particular is to propose a brassiere which provides satisfactory support of the breasts without necessarily having recourse to underwires.

With this goal, the disclosure relates to a brassiere of the type which includes at least:

-   -   a first cup and a second cup, each of which is defined by a         lower edge designed to be arranged below the breast, by an inner         edge defining the neckline, and by a lateral exterior edge,     -   a dorsal fastening band which is connected to the exterior edge         of the first cup and to the exterior edge of the second cup,

characterized in that each cup includes a first exterior support and a second interior support, each of which is generally crescent-shaped, defined by a generally convex edge and by an opposing concave edge, the concave edge of the first support being generally arranged facing the concave edge of the second support, the first support and the second support exhibiting a first lower end and a second lower end, respectively, which are crossed in a zone of support for the breasts.

Advantageously, the supports fitted together on the cups allow the breasts to be supported such that the addition of uncomfortable underwires is no longer necessary.

According to another characteristic, the support zone is designed to be arranged below the breast, in order to support the breast.

Also, the first exterior support extends at least in part into a lateral exterior zone of the connected cup, said zone corresponding to a lateral external part of the breast, to force the breast toward the center of the connected cup.

Likewise, the second interior support extends at least in part into a lateral interior zone of the connected cup, said zone corresponding to a lateral interior part of the neckline, to keep the breast in the connected cup.

According to another aspect, the first exterior support exhibits an upper end which extends up to a strap of the brassiere.

This characteristic promotes the transmission of forces between the strap and the lower part of the cup, via the first support.

Likewise, the second interior support exhibits an upper end which extends to a strap of the brassiere.

This characteristic promotes the transmission of forces between the strap and the lower part of the cup, via the second support.

According to one embodiment, the lower edge of each cup is fitted with an underwire.

According to a preferred embodiment, each support is executed in an elastically deformable material which exhibits an elongation between 110 percent and 190 percent.

Likewise, each support is executed in a material exhibiting high springiness, the back and forth force of elastic deformation of the said material being roughly equal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other characteristics and advantages of the disclosure will become evident upon reading the detailed description which follows with regard to understanding what is referred to on the drawings attached, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a frontal view which illustrates a brassiere without underwiring, including a first and a second cup, each fitted with an exterior and interior crescent-shaped support, according to the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a detail view of the first cup of the brassiere of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a frontal view which illustrates the exterior support of the first cup of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a frontal view which illustrates the interior support of the first cup of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic frontal view which illustrates a brassiere with underwiring, including two cups, each fitted with two crescent-shaped supports, according to the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a detail view which illustrates the first cup of the brassiere of FIG. 5, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the present application, the terms “top”, “bottom”, “upper”, “lower” and their derivatives refer to the position or to the orientation of an element, said position or said orientation being kept in mind when the brassiere is worn by a standing user.

Furthermore, to clarify the description and the claims, the terminology longitudinal, vertical, and transverse will be adopted in a non-limiting manner in reference to the trihedron L, V, T indicated on the figures.

In this set of figures, identical or analogous references represent identical or analogous parts or assemblies.

A brassiere 10 is represented on FIG. 1 which includes a first cup 12 a and a second cup 12 b which belong to a frontal part in the front of brassiere 10.

The two cups 12 a, 12 b are aligned transversely and are arranged on either side of a plane P of vertical symmetry in the general design of brassiere 10, as seen in FIG. 1.

In order to facilitate understanding the description, since the first cup 12 a and the second cup 12 b are symmetrical and similar, only the first cup 12 a will be described in detail in the following.

The first cup 12 a is defined by a lower edge 14 designed to be arranged below the breast, by an interior edge 16 defining the neckline, and by a lateral exterior edge 18.

Moreover, the first cup 12 a exhibits a convex shape, with a generally hemispherical relief and convex toward the front in a longitudinal direction.

The brassiere 10 includes a dorsal fastening band 20, which consists of a first section 22 a connected to the exterior edge 18 of the first cup 12 a and a second section 22 b connected to the exterior edge of the second cup 12 b.

The first section 22 a and the second section 22 b are interconnected at the back of the user by a removable means of attachment 24 of the complementary hook and eye type, for example.

In an non-limiting manner, the brassiere 10 can also be conceived as being attached at the front, between the two cups 12 a, 12 b, according to a design example not depicted.

The dorsal fastening band 20 is executed in a knit, extensible in a transverse direction corresponding to its major length, for example.

In addition, the brassiere 10 is fitted with a pair of straps 26 a, 26 b, which are designed to support brassiere 10 on the shoulders of the user.

In accordance with the disclosure, the first cup 12 a includes a first exterior support 28 and a second interior support 30, each of which is generally in the shape of a crescent defined by a generally convex edge 32, 34, respectively, and by a concave edge 36, 38, respectively.

As may be seen in more detail on FIG. 2, the concave edge 36 of the first support 28 and the concave edge 38 of the second support 30 are arranged generally opposite one another, outlining a V open toward the top on the first cup 12 a.

Also, the first support 28 and the second support 30 each exhibit a lower end 40, 42, respectively, which are crossed and overlapped in a zone Z1 of support for the breasts.

Support zone Z1, represented by dashes on FIG. 2, is understood to be a zone arranged below the breast, in order to support and bear the weight of the breast.

The crossing of the lower ends 40, 42 of first support 28 and second support 30 offer double support for the breasts and avoid recourse to a rigid, uncomfortable underwire.

Advantageously, each lower end 40, 42 of supports 28, 30 is connected to the lower edge 14 of the first cup 12 a.

Furthermore, the first exterior support 28 extends at least in part into a lateral exterior zone Z2 of the first cup 12 a, a zone which corresponds to a lateral external part of the breast, in order to force the breast toward the center of the first cup 12 a.

More particularly, the convex edge 32 of the first exterior support 28 is connected to the exterior edge 18 and the lower edge 14 of the first cup 12 a.

Likewise, the second interior support 30 extends at least in part into a lateral interior zone Z3 of the first cup 12 a, a zone which corresponds to a lateral interior part of the neckline, to keep the breast in the connected cup.

More particularly, the convex edge 32 of the second exterior support 30 is connected to interior edge 16 and lower edge 14 of the first cup 12 a.

According to the embodiment of the disclosure represented in FIGS. 1 through 4, the first exterior support 28 exhibits an upper end 44 which extends up to exterior edge 18 of the first cup 12 a, in front of the strap 26 a connected to brassiere 10.

Likewise, the second exterior support 18 exhibits an upper end 46 which extends up to interior edge 18 of the first cup 12 a, in front of strap 26 a connected to brassiere 10.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, each support 28, 30 is executed in an elastically deformable material.

Preferably, the material used to fabricate supports 28, 30 is a mesh, particularly a mesh of the type known as “power net”, the binding whereof is made of elastic tulle.

Supports 28, 30 can also be executed in other materials, for example other textile mesh knits can be used, preferably linear mesh, for better managed stability and, likewise, films or meshes made of thermoplastic elastomers. Supports 28, 30 can be fabricated from silicone, in particular, or any other elastomer configured in mesh or in film.

Preferably, the material used to fabricate supports 28, 30 exhibits a longitudinal elongation, that is, in a vertical direction on the figures, between 145 percent and 190 percent, and a transverse elongation, that is, in a transverse direction on the figures, between 110 percent and 125 percent.

In addition, the material used to fabricate supports 28, 30 exhibits a high springiness, that is, the back-and-forth forces of elastic deformation of the material are roughly equal.

Preferably, the springiness of the material used to fabricate supports 28, 30 is between 150 grams and 600 grams for a force of 40 newtons.

These different values for springiness and elongation also depend on the cup size of the brassiere.

As for the fabrication of brassiere 10 according to the disclosure, the first support is first fastened onto the first cup 12 a and the second support 30 is subsequently fastened onto the first cup 12 a.

Preferably, each support 28, 30 is fastened by sewing its exterior edge onto the first cup 12 a, in order to allow each support 28, 30 to be elastically deformed and thus to retain its characteristics of elongation and springiness.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure represented on FIGS. 5 and 6, each cup 12 a, 12 b of brassiere 10 is fitted with an underwire (not depicted), metal underwiring, for example, which reinforces the lower edge 14 of each cup.

The underwiring used can exhibit more flexibility and can be finer, and can thus be more comfortable, than an underwire used for a brassiere of prior art, due to the support provided by the two supports 28, 30.

Brassiere 10 according to the disclosure is not limited to supports 28, 30 in the shape previously described.

Also, a brassiere 10 is represented in FIGS. 5 and 6 which is similar to that in FIG. 1 but which is distinguished by the shape of the supports 28, 30.

In fact, according to the embodiment represented in FIG. 5, the upper end of the first exterior support 28 extends up to strap 26 a of the brassiere 10.

Moreover, the upper end of the second interior support 30 extends roughly up to the upper end of the first exterior support 28.

Finally, according to the embodiment represented in FIG. 6, the upper end of the first exterior support 28 and the upper end of the second interior support 30 each extend up to strap 26 a of brassiere 10.

Furthermore, the upper ends are crossed at strap 26 a.

Extension of the first support 28 and/or the second support 30 to strap 26 a allows supports 28, 30 to transmit forces between strap 26 a and the first connected cup 12 a.

This description of the disclosure is given as a non-limiting example.

It is particularly understood that the different embodiments described above can be combined with one another. 

1. A brassiere comprising: a first cup and a second cup, each of the first cup and the second cup defined by a lower edge configured to be arranged under the breast of a wearer of the brassiere, by an interior edge defining a neckline of the wearer, and by a lateral exterior edge, a dorsal fastening band connected to the lateral exterior edge of the first cup and to the lateral exterior edge of the second cup, wherein each of the first cup and the second cup includes a first exterior support and a second interior support, each of which has generally the shape of a crescent, defined generally by a convex edge and by an opposing concave edge, the concave edge of the first support being generally arranged facing the concave edge of the second support, the first support and the second support exhibiting a first lower end and a second lower end, respectively, which are crossed in a support zone for the breasts.
 2. The brassiere according to claim 1, wherein the support zone is configured to be arranged below the breast in order to support the breast.
 3. The brassiere according to claim 1, wherein the first exterior support extends at least in part into a lateral exterior zone of the connected cup, said lateral exterior zone corresponding to a lateral external part of the breast, in order to force the breast toward the center of the connected cup.
 4. The brassiere according to claim 1, wherein the second interior support extends at least in part into a lateral interior zone of the connected cup, said lateral interior zone corresponding to a lateral interior part of the bosom neckline, in order to keep the breast in the connected cup.
 5. The brassiere according to claim 1, wherein the first exterior support exhibits an upper end which extends up to a strap of the brassiere.
 6. The brassiere according to claim 1, wherein the second interior support exhibits an upper end which extends up to strap of the brassiere.
 7. The brassiere according to claim 1, wherein the lower edge of each cup is fitted with underwiring.
 8. The brassiere according to claim 1, wherein each of the first exterior support and the second interior support is executed in an elastically deformable material which exhibits an elongation between 110 percent and 190 percent.
 9. The brassiere according to claim 1, wherein each of the first exterior support and the second interior support is executed in a material exhibiting high springiness, where the back and forth forces of elastic deformation of the high springiness material being roughly equal.
 10. The brassiere according to claim 1, wherein the support zone is arranged at a lower portion of the breast cup to support the breast.
 11. The brassiere according to claim 1, wherein the first exterior support extends at least in part into a lateral exterior zone of the connected cup, said lateral exterior zone corresponding to a lateral external part of the breast and configured to support the breast toward the center of the connected cup.
 12. The brassiere according to claim 2, wherein the first exterior support extends at least in part into a lateral exterior zone of the connected cup, said lateral exterior zone corresponding to a lateral external part of the breast, in order to force the breast toward the center of the connected cup.
 13. The brassiere according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first exterior support or the second interior support comprises a mesh.
 14. The brassiere according to claim 13, wherein the mesh is a knit mesh.
 15. The brassiere according to claim 13, wherein the mesh comprises a thermoplastic elastomer.
 16. The brassiere according to claim 8, wherein the elastically deformable material of each of the first exterior support and the second interior support comprises a longitudinal, vertical elongation between 145 percent and 190 percent, and a transverse elongation between 110 percent and 125 percent.
 17. The brassiere according to claim 5, wherein the second interior support exhibits an upper end which extends up to strap of the brassiere.
 18. The brassiere according to claim 17, wherein the upper end of the first exterior support and the upper end of the second interior support at least partially overlap each other adjacent the strap.
 19. The brassiere according to claim 2, wherein the second interior support extends at least in part into a lateral interior zone of the connected cup, said lateral interior zone corresponding to a lateral interior part of the neckline, in order to keep the breast in the connected cup.
 20. The brassiere according to claim 3, wherein the second interior support extends at least in part into a lateral interior zone of the connected cup, said lateral interior zone corresponding to a lateral interior part of the neckline, in order to keep the breast in the connected cup. 